Autumn can be one of the most exciting seasons of the year in your garden if you just know the right plants to include in your landscape!

It is amazing how many beautiful perennials are still in full bloom in September and October and some of the late flowering perennials are just beginning to burst into color at this time.

Anemone 'Honorine Jobert'

If your gardens are lacking in color at the end of summer, it's time to add some fall dazzle! The garden in autumn can be a new beginning of fresh blooms and robust color. The following are suggestions of perennials and shrubs that will bring your gardens alive with color in the fall.

Butterflies love the fall blooming asters!

Aster -

Asters are some of the most colorful of the fall bloomers. These hardy natives are robust, drought resistant, and very floriferous. They come in a variety of colors from white to hot pink to rich purple and all attract loads of butterflies.

Aster n.a. 'Alma Potschke' has vivid pink blooms.

Japanese anemone -

Japanese anemones make a real statement in the Viette gardens in the fall. Andr� uses mass plantings in many of his berm gardens and they are truly spectacular! They come in a wide range of colors from white to pink to deep rose and in single flowers or semi-double to double flowers.

Japanese anemones fill the Viette gardens with color in autumn

Fluffy seed heads of Japanese anemone

Chrysanthemum - Super Hardy Fall "Mums"

Just as the poinsettia has come to represent the Christmas holiday season, the brightly colored fall blooming "mums" have become a symbol of autumn! For the shrewd gardener, the October gardens can come alive each year with the colorful blooms of super hardy mums in an array of pinks, apricots, reds, and yellows. These long-lived hardy forms are a delight both in the garden and as long-lasting cut flowers. Be sure to look for the super hardy varieties!

Beautiful super hardy chrysanthemums will come back year after year.

A beautiful apricot colored hardy mum

Helianthus - This perennial sunflower is a must for its dazzling golden blooms that practically glow in the late afternoon autumn sun. Watch while butterflies flock to the profusion of blooms which also make excellent cut flowers. Helianthus is drought tolerant once established.

Hellianthus salicifolius produces masses of vibrant yellow blooms.

Sedum - You can't beat sedum for performance and diversity in the garden. Sedum 'Neon' is stunning in the fall garden with bright pink flowers. Another great cultivar is 'Vera Jameson' which has beautiful bronze-purple foliage and deep pink flowers. Sedum is attractive throughout the season but really shines in the fall.

Vibrant blooms of Sedum 'Neon' light up this fall garden

Sedum 'Vera Jameson'

Perovskia - Russian SageWith its silvery-blue aromatic foliage and spikes of lavender flowers, Russian sage is a true knock-out in the late summer and fall garden. Perovskia is drought tolerant once established and deer resistant. It tolerates alkaline soil and seaside conditions. Butterflies flock to the flowers which bloom from July to frost.

Perovskia has fragrant silvery foliage and vibrant blue flowers.

Perovskia is beautiful in the summer and fall garden

Ornamental Grasses -Although it is interesting to watch them grow and change with the seasons, these beautiful grasses really come into their prime in the fall. They create an excellent backdrop for other fall bloomers and provide beauty through the winter.

Wispy plumes of Miscanthus against the fall sky.

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Tip of the Month

Beyond Flowers - Color in the Fall Garden

Fall can be a "brown" time in the perennial garden unless you plan your garden carefully to provide color and interest through this beautiful "season of maturity".

Sourwood tree dons brilliant red autumn foliage.

There are many plants that will make your landscape "pop" in the fall and keep your gardens looking attractive all the way to frost and even beyond!

Fall is actually my favorite time of the year. The color on the mountains surrounding the Shenandoah Valley is gorgeous, the days are warm, and the night air becomes crisp. It's a great time to be in the garden!

Think Outside the Box

Often when we think of color in the garden, we think primarily of flowers. In the fall garden, color can come from much more than just flowers!

These beautiful orange crabapples brighten the fall garden.

So many perennials, trees, and shrubs have gorgeous fall foliage or bright berries or showy seed heads or beautiful flowers that dry right in the garden! When choosing plants to put in the garden, it's fun to think beyond the flowers. What will the plant look like when it's finished blooming? Will it contribute to the overall beauty of the garden when the flowers are spent? This is not to say that every plant you put in your garden has to have all season interest - that would be pretty hard. The trick is to intersperse perennials, trees, and shrubs that have fall interest into your overall plan.

What Should I Plant?

The best way to choose the plants with beautiful fall color and interest is to visit established gardens and see for yourself those that make a spectacular show. The gardens at Viette's showcase an incredible diversity of trees, shrubs, evergreens, and perennials that are in their full glory and take center stage in the fall of the year.

Coleus has colorful foliage that lasts until frost.

Consider the fabulous foliage of annuals like the colorful Coleus, ornamental grasses like Leatherleaf Sedge (Carex buchananii), or trees like the beautiful Sourwood!

Shrubs and small trees with colorful berries make great accents in the fall garden. One of my favorite shrubs for producing stunning

Hollies, both evergreen and deciduous, also provide bright berries (usually red but there are even some cultivars that produce blue berries) in the fall.

Ilex 'Sparkleberry' brightens the winter garden at Viette's.

Personally, I'm partial to the deciduous hollies, Ilex verticillata, because the red berries along the branches are even more striking after the leaves drop. Euonymus alatus (Burning Bush) and the native Sourwood tree have stunning red fall foliage that provides a vibrant focal point in the fall garden.

Showy seed heads & dried flowers

Snow lays on a dried hydrangea flower

Many perennials provide interest in the fall garden by virtue of what remains after the petals fall. Siberian iris, oriental poppies, Japanese anemones, peonies, coneflowers, and yucca all produce interesting seed pods if the spent flower stems are allowed to remain in the garden through fall and winter. Astilbe, hydrangea, Joe Pye Weed, sedum, ornamental grasses, and goldenrod have flowers which dry nicely right in the garden providing interest and color well into winter. There are so many wonderful plants that have interest "beyond flowers"!

Plan a trip to our nursery and gardens in the colorful Shenandoah Valley this fall and revel in the glorious fall colors all around you! You won't be disappointed!

Aaaagh! They're swarming all over the house! It's like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock horror movie! There are masses of them crawling over every screen trying to get in! Many can guess what I'm talking about - STINK BUGS! The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) has not only become an annoying invader of [...]...�

Did You Know?

Tips to Beautify your Fall Garden

Once the beautiful blooms of summer have waned and the days are getting cooler, it's time to get out in the garden and tidy it up for the new fall season. Here are some suggestions to spruce up your fall landscape!

Cut back your daylily foliage if it is looking messy and brown. There may be other perennials that would benefit from a haircut (or maybe just a trim) at this point in the season. Sometimes just plucking off a few tattered or brown leaves or stems can make a world of difference in the garden.

Cut back peonies and discard the foliage in the trash to help avoid disease problems next season.

Deadhead buddleia flowers to keep it blooming until frost.

Deadhead Buddleia to keep it blooming until frost. Many annuals will also continue blooming until frost if they are kept deadheaded.

Consider leaving some annuals in the garden to set seed and naturalize for next season. Keep in mind that if you apply a pre-emergence weedkiller in your perennial beds to control weeds, this will also keep these seeds from germinating.

Rudbeckia wears a "hat" of snow after a winter storm.

Remember when you are cleaning up in the fall to leave some of the interesting seed heads and seed pods in the garden for fall and winter interest. These include those of Siberian iris, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, oriental poppies, yucca, Baptisia, and hardy hibiscus.

Perk up your containers. Many annuals in containers (and even in the garden) are past their prime now and just need to be pulled out at this point. Consider adding some fall blooming mums to the containers in their place. Even the tender "florist mums" will provide wonderful autumn-like color to your containers.

Take stock of what didn't perform well in the gardens and consider replacing these plants. Take advantage of fall sales and choose something new and different that you haven't tried before! Go with an open mind but with a general idea of what you need in terms of height, exposure (sun or shade), and maybe some color preferences. This will keep you on track and give you some guidelines to make your shopping more efficient and successful!

Decorate from your Garden

Beautiful Natural Arrangements for Fall

A beautiful fall arrangement

Natural arrangements made from interesting dried flowers, seed pods, berries, and foliage harvested from your garden can bring beauty to your home, both inside and out.

You don't have to be a professional flower arranger to create these lovely fall and winter displays, just a creative imagination. Take your shears on a stroll through your flower beds in the waning days of summer or fall and start clipping and collecting. The flowers of many perennials and shrubs dry naturally right on the plant and can be cut and used in beautiful, long-lasting arrangements allowing you to enjoy your garden's beauty well into winter.

Fall arrangement using daylily and hosta stems with seed pods

In addition to flowers, look for other interesting colors, shapes, and textures in and around your landscape. Dried seed pods from oriental poppies, Siberian iris, peonies, and yucca make wonderful additions to a fall and winter display. Even daylily seed pods or their dried flower scapes are neat!

The basic rule-of-thumb for determining the proper planting depth and spacing is:

8" deep and 3" - 10" apart for large bulbs which are 2" or more in diameter.

5" deep and 1" - 2" apart for smaller bulbs which are 1" or smaller in diameter

When planting groups of bulbs, prepare planting beds rather than digging individual holes.

For a naturalized look, toss bulbs out by the handful and plant them where they land!

Mix a heaping teaspoon of Espoma Bulb-tone with the soil in the bottom of each planting hole before dropping in the bulb.

Fertilize new and established planting beds with Espoma Bulb-tone at the rate of 5-10 pounds per 100 square feet.

If voles are a problem in your garden, place 2" of Espoma Soil Perfector in the bottom of the planting hole and then place the bulbs. Surround the bulbs with additional Soil Perfector leaving just the tips exposed. Finally, place a 50% Soil Perfector/soil mix over the bulbs to the desired depth.

You don't need to do this when planting daffodil bulbs as they are toxic to "critters" and are not eaten!

After planting, be sure to water generously to get good root growth started.

Once the ground freezes, you can add 2"-3" of mulch. Mulch keeps the bulbs cool in uneven temperatures, prevents heaving, and maintains moisture in the soil.

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Mulberry Hills Farm Pumpkin Patch

A family farming operation that specializes in growing a wide variety of pumpkins and gourds.

Choose from a large selection of pumpkins

Pre-picked and Pick Your Own

In addition, find all your fall decorating needs like straw, mums, Indian corn, and corn shocks.

Enjoy the Patch and all the Farm Animals while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Shenandoah Valley and the wonderful fall weather and don't forget your camera!!

Located 8 miles south of Harrisonburg6442 Cross Keys RoadMt. Crawford, VA 22841540-234-9408 Visit their website